Piano lifting apparatus and turntable support



Sept. 15, 1959 s. E. VERGARA 2,904,308 PIANO LIFTING APPARATUS ANDTURNTABLE SUPPORT Filed Nov. 9, 1956 I x 3 Sheets-Sheet 1;

INVENTOR. SAMUEL E VE/PGARA p 1959 s. E. VERGARA 2,904,308

PIANO LIFTING APPARATUS AND TURNTABLE SUPPORT Filed NOV. 9, 1956 3Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. SAMUEL E. VERGA/PA A T TORNEYS Sept. 15, 1959s. E. VERGARA 2,904,308

PIANO LIFTING APPARATUS AND TURNTABLE SUPPORT Filed. Nov. 9, 1956 5Sheets-Sheet 3 mum.

- INVENTOR. SAMUEL E. VERGARA BY ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 15, 1959 PIANOLIFTING APPARATUS AND TURNTABLE SUPPORT Samuel E. Vergara, SanFrancisco, Calif. Application November, 9, 1956, Serial No.621,359

4 Claims. (Cl. 254- 8) This invention relates to hoists and turntables,and more particularly to hoisting apparatus embodying a turntablesupport specifically adapted for the handling of any size piano of thegrand type.

Grand pianos are relatively heavy, weighing from 450 to 900 pounds Itfrequently becomes necessary to move these pianos from place to place,as in shops, etc. Also, such pianos are moved from locations where theyare used to places where they may be refinished. Such movement requiresfrom two to three men, and such work is hazardous.

It is an object of the present invention to provide. a novel hoistwhereby a piano may be raised verysirnply by a single person andtransported from place to place, as desired.

A further object of the present invention is to provide the subjecthoist with a novel turntable support for the piano, with said turntablesupport being provided with horizontally and vertically adjustablesupport means adapted to engage the variable, level underside portionsof a grand piano, whereby the piano maybe stably supported and turned bya piano finisher from time to time during the finishing operation tothereby eliminate the necessity of the finisher moving around the pianowith his spray gun and finishing materials. 8

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the drawings formingpart of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the subject piano lifting apparatusand turntable support, showing the same as it would appear before alifting operation is commenced;

Figure 2 is a detail view taken along lines 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in elevation of the apparatus, showing the same as itwould appear after a piano has been lifted;

Figure 4 is a detail view taken along lines 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the subject apparatus.

With reference to the drawings, the apparatus comprises a bottom supportframe formed of opposed pairs of channel members 10, members 12supporting frame from four corner plates 14-, wheels 16 dirigiblyattached to plate 14, four cylindrical post members 18 carried by frame10 and extending upwardly therefrom, tubular members 20 sleeved forsliding movement on posts 18, said tubular members having secured to thelower ends thereof plate 22 and having secured to the upper ends thereofplate 24.

Fixedly mounted on plate 22 centrally thereof is a hydraulic jack 26having actuating means indicated generally at 28 adapted to be operatedby hand lever 30. Jack 26 is provided with a jack shaft 32 whichterminates at its upper end in a plate 34. As best shown in Figure 4,plate 34 has secured thereto a pair of opposed L-shaped cars 36 and twopairs of ears 38 so associated therewith as to define four pairs ofspaced ears between which the upper ends of link members 40 extend. Thelink members 40 are pivotally attached to the ear elements 36-38, as bypins 42. The lower ends of link members 40 extend between link pairs 44and are pivotally secured thereto, as by pins 46. The lower ends of linkpairs 44 are in turn pivotally secured, as by pins 48, to upstanding webmembers 50 which are fixedly secured to the wheel mounting plates 14.Connecting means are provided between each of the link members 40 andplate 22, said means comprising link pairs 52 having their upper endspivotally attached to link members 40, as by pins 54,.

and having their lower ends pivotally attached, as by pins 56, toupstanding web members 58 fixedly secured .to plate 22.

For a better understanding of the mode of operation of the hoist, it maybe assumed, with reference to Figure 1, that the link pairs 52 are notpresent. If this were true, upward movement of the jack shaft 32relative to the jack 26 would tend to move link members 40 and linkpairs 44 from the Figure 1 position toward their Figure 3 position, butplate 22, tubular members 20 and plate 24 would remain stationary. Withthe link pairs 52 present, upward movement of the jack shaft relative tothe jack is effected to move link members 40 and link pairs 44 from theFigure 1 to Figure 3 positions, and in the process plate 22, tubularmembers 20 and plate 24, all of which are integrated together, areraised by virtue of the connections constituted by link pairs 52 betweenlink mem bers 40 and plate 22. A very high mechanical advantage isobtained consisting of the mechanical advantage which is derived throughthe hydraulic jack itself, the additional multiplication of themechanical advantage of the jack which is in the ratio of the length ofthe link members 40 to the distance between pins 46 and 54, and theadditional compounding of the all ready compounded mechanical advantageof the hydraulic jack by virtue of the toggle action of link members 40and link pairs 44, i.e. evidenced by the downward swinging movement ofpivot pins 46 while pivot pins 54 are being moved upwardly.

Link pairs 52 are provided with crossbar members 60 adapted to serve asprop members for the link mem bers 40 to prevent link members 40 fromcoming into full alignment with link pairs 44.

The hoist apparatus embodies a turntable support comprising a hollowU-shaped frame consisting of a pair of oppositely disposed frame members62 and an end member 64. Members 62 are interconnected by transversemember 66 which in turn is pivotally connected to plate 24, as by stud68. Members 621 are provided at their inner sides with projections 70which have connected thereto rotatable wheel members 72. Wheel members72. Wheel members 72 engage the top surface of plate 24 and serve as thesupporting means for the turntable.

Slidably telescoped within members 62 are members 7 4 which have securedto the underside of the outer ends thereof a transverse housing 76.Extending upwardly through housing 76 and members 74 is a pair ofthreaded shafts 78, the upper ends of which are secured to hollowsupport member 80. Member 80 is provided with extension members 82 whichare slidably telescoped therein. Shafts 78 are moved upwardly anddownwardly by rotative movement of nut members 84 which are disposedwithin housing 76 in threaded engagement with shafts 78. Nut members 84are provided with sprocket portions around which a drive chain istrained. Chain 86 is also chained around a drive sprocket which isfixedly attached to shaft 88 having crank handle 90 integral therewith.

Threadably engaged-within bosses 92 disposed within frame member 64 arescrew shafts 94 having at their lower ends adjustment knobs 96 and attheir upper ends support pads 98.

When the apparatus is in the position of Figure 1, it is rolled beneatha baby grandpia'no; The underside portions of such pianos are generallylocated at varying levels. Thus, crank handle 90' is rotated to adjustsupport member 80 to engage the underside portion of the piano adjacentthereto. Screw shafts 94 are suitably rotated to bring the support padsfi into engagement with underside portions of the piano adjacentthereto. Support member 80 may be moved toward or away from the end 64of the frame to properly adjust the support elements to suit theparticular dimensions of the piano, and extension members 82 may bemoved as desired with respect to support'memher 80 in accordance withthe dimensional characteristics of the piano. The end result is that thepiano, no matter what its peculiarities as to size or dimension, iscontacted for stable support by the turntable. The piano is then hoistedin the manner previously described.

When the piano is thus stably supported in a raised position, it may berotated with one hand for the purpose of inspecting the piano or for thepurpose of performing the refinishing operation thereon. Suchrefinishing operations may consist of removing the old paint, or finish,from the piano, sanding the wood, and repainting the piano. With thesubject hoist, such a refinishing operation is considerably simplified,as the refinisher may stand at one station, where his tools andequipment are located, and gradually rotate the piano as the refinishingoperation proceeds.

Means are provided to lock the turntable with respect to the turntablesupport plate 24, said means comprising a crank member 100 journalledfor support in one of the side frame members 62 and having at its innerend a lug plate 102 adapted to be engaged within a'notch, not shown,formed in the peripheral edge of plate 24.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed, it is to be understood that all'substantial equivalentsthereof are considered to be within the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. Hoist apparatus of the type described comprising a wheel-supportedframe, at least three angularly spaced post members secured to andextending upwardly from said frame, a tubular member sleeved for slidingmovement on each of said post members, a horizontally disposed lowerplate secured to the lower ends of said tubular members, a horizontallydisposed upper plate secured to the upper ends of said tubular members,a lifting jack secured to said lower plate centrally thereof, said jackhaving an upwardly directed jack shaft, a plurality of first linkmembers angularly spaced with respect to each other, said link membershaving their inner ends pivotally connected to the upper end of saidjack shaft and having their outer ends extending beyond the periphery ofsaid lower plate, second link members having their lower ends pivotallysecured to said frame and their upper ends pivotally secured to theouter ends of said first link members, and third link members havingtheir lower ends pivotally connected to said lower plate and their upperends pivotally connected to said first link members between the innerand outer ends of the latter.

2. Hoist apparatus comprising a horizontally disposed support frame, aplate horizontally disposed above said support frame, guide meanscarried by said frame in association with said plate whereby said platemay move upwardly and downwardly relative to said frame, a jack securedto said plate having an upwardly extending extensible jack shaft, aplurality of angularly spaced lever means pivotally connected to saidjack shaft and to said frame for movement in vertical planes in responseto movement of said jack shaft, and link means depending from said levermeans, said link means being pivotally connected to said lever means andto said plate.

3. The hoist apparatus of claim 2, each of said lever means consistingof first and second pivotally articulated levers, said first leversbeing connected to said jack shaft and being substantially horizontallydisposed when said plate is in a down position, and said second leversbeing disposed outwardly of the periphery of said plate, being connectedto said frame, and being substantially vertically disposed when saidplate is in a down position, said link means being connected to saidfirst levers between the ends thereof.

4. The hoist apparatus of claim 2, including means disposed above saidplate and rigidly supported thereby to engage beneath and support anobject to be hoisted.

Saul Oct. 3, 1950 Sensenbaugh Jan. 13, 1953

